Ground Broken on New Florida Ballpark

The University of Florida held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new ballpark Friday, bringing the $65-million facility into the spotlight.

Florida is planning a new ballpark that will serve as a replacement for McKethan Stadium at Perry Field. Under the current timeline, the ballpark’s construction will be completed in June 2020, with the 2021 baseball season marking the Gators’ first at the new facility. The ballpark will feature several notable amenities, including a mixture of seating options such as fixed seats and grass berms, a 360-degree concourse, shade structures, modern team facilities, and more.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the upcoming ballpark was held on Friday. During the event, university officials took the opportunity to note the step forward that the facility could represent for the baseball program and for Florida athletics as a whole. More from The Gainesville Sun:

The ceremony drew several hundred, including some financial donors, UF president Kent Fuchs and dozens of former Gator players, including Matt LaPorta, Darren O’Day and Allen Trammell.

“It’s a great day for Florida baseball, for Florida athletics and for the University of Florida,” Fuchs said. “This is a huge step forward as we set the standard for the SEC and the NCAA.”

The stadium, scheduled for completion in June of 2020, is going to be located on former IFAS land on the southwest corner of campus, just off Hull Road and adjacent to the softball and lacrosse stadiums/facilities.

Workers will begin clearing the land, which is dotted with citrus trees and other vegetation, sometime in the next few weeks.

It is expected that McKethan Stadium will be demolished after the 2020 season to make way for the construction of a football training complex, contingent upon the university meeting certain fundraising goals.

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About Zach Spedden

Zach Spedden is the managing editor of the August Publications sports sites. He graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in February 2014, and a Master of Arts in Emerging Media from the University of Loyola Maryland's in September 2015. Zach resides in Baltimore.

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